Flirting with Danger
by Flying Magic Snake
Summary: Love is trying to kill your boss routinely. Hijikata x Okita
1. Worries

Title: Worries  
Author: Scarlet Pencil  
Pairing: Okita Sougo/Hijikata Toshiro  
Fandom: Gintama  
Theme: #1, look over here  
Rating: PG-13, for Hijikata's foul mouth.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama or its characters. It is the property of Hideaki Sorachi.

-0-0-0-0-

Worries

-0-0-0-0-

It was a weird feeling, not knowing where Okita was. A cat knocked over a beer can, and Hijikata resisted the urge to shudder. Good lord, who knew what death traps Okita could be planning for him?

Hijikata didn't think that he was paranoid. He knew that the world was a dangerous place, and that accidents happened all the time. (Like that time when he had been walking down the street and a taxi had nearly run him over. Hijikata could have _sworn_ that he'd seen someone with brown hair in that cab…) But no, it wasn't that he was paranoid.

It was that Okita was fucking _nuts_, and Hijikata worried about him whenever he wasn't nearby. Of course there was the omnipresent threat that Okita would actually succeed in killing him, but Hijikata had gotten very good at avoiding bazookas, swords, and other bad things.

Still, it was surprising that he was more concerned about Okita's well-being than his own. Hijikata came to a stop at the street corner, sighed, and flicked away the ashes from his cigarette. One day, Okita was going to screw up and kill somebody important. No doubt the Shogunate would order Okita to commit seppuku if that happened. And Okita would do it, to protect the Shinsengumi and Kondou-san.

Hijikata shook his head and resumed walking. No sense in thinking stupid thoughts. He'd just continue doing what he always did.

Keep an eye on Okita as much as possible, and worry himself sick when the swordsman was out of sight.

It was because of these musings that when, fifteen minutes later, he heard the innocent drawl, "Hey! Hijikata-san!" and the accompanying explosion, Hijikata didn't react as violently as he would normally. Nor did Hijikata comment when he heard Okita mutter irately about missing again. He just sighed tiredly, missing the somewhat bothered look that crossed Okita's face.

"Tch. Come on. We'll miss our soap opera." Hijikata started walking back to headquarters. Okita fell in step behind him.

"Ne, is something wrong, Hijikata-san? Perhaps some distant relative of yours has died, leaving you a large inheritance? One that will force you to go overseas for an indeterminate amount of time?" Okita sounded hopeful.

Hijikata twitched, but continued walking. "What kind of a far out explanation is that? And nothing is wrong."

He managed to walk about five more steps before he heard Okita drawing his sword. Hijikata dove for the ground, saw an unlucky barrel of wine cleaved in half, and rolled away from Okita, fumbling for his own sword.

"Bastard! What the hell do you think you're doing?" He roared, glaring at Okita. Okita, who was smiling innocently, already wiping the alcohol off of his sword.

Okita sheathed his sword and extended a hand to Hijikata. "I just wanted you to look at me when we were talking," he said calmly.

Hijikata accepted the hand, glaring. "Normally, people ask when they want something; they don't try to slice people in half!"

Okita tugged on Hijikata's hand, and suddenly Hijikata found that he was far to close to Okita's face. He tried to pull away, but Okita tugged again.

"But Hijikata-san," Okita smirked, leaning in even closer. "We're not _normal_ people, are we?"

It took Hijikata a minute to realize that Okita had let go, and another minute to realize that the swordsman had started walking home.

Their lips hadn't touched, exactly. But they had been pretty damn close to it. Hijikata shuddered and started walking after Okita. Dear god, why did Okita insist on screwing with his life?

Ahead of him, Okita smiled.

-0-0-0-0-

AN: I love this pairing. I haven't seen a couple of guys with so much innuendo on an anime for… well, I've never any. XD Especially episode ten, when Okita puts a collar and leash on Hijikata. Ah, so much love! XP


	2. Vacation

Title: Vacation  
Author: Scarlet Pencil  
Pairing: Okita Sougo/Hijikata Toshiro  
Fandom: Gintama  
Theme: #4, our distance and that person  
Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama or its characters. It is the property of Hideaki Sorachi.AN: Truthfully, I think this sucks compared to my earlier fic. I kept having trouble transitioning between scenes cleanly. If anyone can point out things I need to improve/revise, I'd appreciate it.

-0-0-0-0-

Hijikata ground his cigarette into the ground, ignoring the disapproving glare the aid gave. He resisted the urge to look at the clock behind him. This was a test of sorts, Hijikata had decided. With all the trouble he had been through, it would be stupid to screw it up now. Besides, the sooner he got this over with, the sooner he would be able to go home.

A week ago, he had been sent to the Shogunate headquarters for a 'debriefing,' which was a fancy way to say that the Shogunate was looking to see how many of its own shortcomings could be pawned onto the Shinsengumi. They had requested Kondou, but Hijikata had volunteered, saying that the Shinsengumi needed Kondou for a mission.

That was true, in a roundabout way. Kondou was the glue that held the Shinsengumi together. Without him, they would have ended up like so many of the other samurai of the time: homeless and hopeless. Kondou was like an older brother, jumping in to fight away their enemies and help them provide for themselves. He viewed the world through rose tinted glasses of sorts, though. Kondou liked to believe in the best of people, and Hijikata wouldn't have it any other way.

So despite his distaste for the politicians, Hijikata went. He at least understood the machinations that went on behind the scenes at the Shogunate. Kondou, in his good-natured view of life, didn't entirely understand the channels of power that delicately tied the Shogunate together.

The first three days there weren't too bad, if Hijikata was honest with himself. Although the meetings that took up most of his time were annoying, his room was all right. He had been granted twenty-four/seven room service, and the maid hadn't even blinked when Hijikata had asked her to bring him all the mayonnaise in the kitchen.

But by the fifth day, he had realized that he hated it. Even more frustrating was the fact that he didn't know why. It wasn't homesickness, exactly. If anything, Hijikata had been wanting a vacation from the Shinsengumi for months.

Part of it was a general worry. He was really the only sane person in the Shinsengumi. Being reliable was not one of Yamazaki's virtues, and in general the Shinsengumi tended to get rowdy when he wasn't around to keep an eye on them.

Still, Hijikata was quite confident that Okita could handle things on that front. Although the sadistic swordsman had significantly lower standards of conduct then Hijikata, he would still beat the shit out of anyone who irritated him or caused problems.

The other part to his discontent was something Hijikata didn't really want to think about. Thinking about it would just make it worse.

"Hijikata-san? This way, please." The aid jolted him back to reality, motioning him to step forward. Hijikata nodded politely and strode into the room.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Is—Is it safe?" came the whisper. Yamazaki turned and glared at the men behind him.

"Quiet! Do you want to be caught?" he hissed. They all shook their heads.

Yamazaki looked back at the exit. There were about fifty yards between them and the Shinsengumi's front gate. Captain Okita was lying on the veranda, his eye mask pulled over his eyes and a bazooka resting on his lap.

Yamazaki slowly raised his hand. The men tensed behind him. Yamazaki watched Okita's chest rise and fall, waiting for the exactly perfect moment.

A bird chirped in a nearby tree.

Yamazaki signaled them forward, and the Shinsengumi ran for the gate.

They nearly made it to freedom. Yamazaki was certain his strategy was without fail. At least, he was certain until bazooka shots began pocking the landscape with small craters. The Shinsengumi scattered, cursing loudly.

Yamazaki held his hands up in the air and groaned. "Captain, why are you doing this? It's our day off!"

Okita smiled disarmingly at him. The effect was ruined by the eye mask, which made Okita look like he had an extra pair of demonic eyes. "Well, as long as Hijikata-san is gone, I have been assigned his responsibilities of keeping everyone out of trouble. I intend to show Kondou-san how much better I am at this than Hijikata-san is!" The bazooka gleamed dangerously.

If he was a braver person, Yamazaki would have tried to argue the point; but he wasn't. There were only two people who could control Okita: Hijikata and Kondou. But ever since Hijikata had left five days ago to attend some sort of debriefing, even Kondou hadn't been able to tame Okita's sadistic streak.

Really, it wasn't that Okita had become more violent since Hijikata had left. It was just that Okita spent almost all of his time trying to maim Hijikata; and when the man wasn't present, Okita had no choice but to turn his destructive tendencies onto everyone else he saw.

Okita wasn't acting any different than he would normally. It was just more pronounced. Yamazaki saw Okita aiming at him with the bazooka, and ran for it.

God save the Shinsengumi if Hijikata ever died of a heart attack or something.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Two days later, Hijikata twitched at the sight of the dojo. He could see that the neatly kept place he had left a week ago was covered in a variety of craters and a thin layer of soot. He could see rather haunted looking men drifting around aimlessly inside.

He could see Okita sitting rather smugly on the veranda.

"Che. I thought I told you to keep them out of trouble." Hijikata sighed, walking over to him.

"Ah, but I did, Hijikata-san." Okita smirked. "There have been absolutely no incidents of drunken or riotous behavior while you were gone. Except for when Kondou-san returned from the Kabuki district three days ago with two broken ribs and reeking of sake."

Hijikata shook his head. "Moron." He didn't clarify whether he meant Kondou or Okita. "So I didn't miss anything?"

Okita stood up. "No, not really." He made as if to embrace Hijikata. Hijikata grabbed Okita's right arm.

"I'll kiss you _after_ you drop the knife, Sougo."

Okita just smirked.

-0-0-0-0-0-

AN: I was really, really tempted to write: "Kondou was the Gorilla Glue™ that held the Shinsengumi together." shot


	3. Smoking

Title: Smoking  
Author: Scarlet Pencil  
Pairing: Okita Sougo/Hijikata Toshiro  
Fandom: Gintama  
Theme: #13, excessive chain  
Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama or its characters. It is the property of Hideaki Sorachi.

-0-0-0-0-0-

When Okita was fourteen years old, he read an article in a medical journal about smoking. The article talked about the various chemicals in tobacco smoke and the filthiness of the factories they were manufactured in. It talked about nicotine and its affects on the body. It described in great detail yellowed teeth.

When Kondou finally finished his check up and walked back into the waiting room, he clapped Okita on the back. "It's good to see you educating yourself on the evils of smoking! Remember, prevention is the anti-drug!"

Okita had nodded quietly, and they had returned to the dojo.

The next day, Okita had skipped practice and went to the nearest tobacco store. Upon being told that he was too young to buy cigarettes, Okita proceed to threaten the store-keeper.

Five minutes later, Okita left the store with a carton of cigarettes. The shopkeeper decided that selling cigarettes was a dangerous profession and prepared to change careers before the freaky kid came back.

It was a sore point with Okita; but he had to admit, Hijikata was a better fighter than he was. At the moment, his death plans were being rendered ineffectual as fast as he could come up with them. That was why, when Okita had read the article, he had decided on a contingency plan.

If he couldn't kill Hijikata outright, he would kill him over time.

It was difficult, but Okita finally tricked Hijikata into smoking the cigarettes. After a while, no one even looked twice at the black haired fighter with the mayonnaise shaped lighter. The lighter had been a birthday present from Okita to Hijikata. Hijikata was initially suspicious, as Okita's normal presents were either poisoned or explosive, but he accepted it anyway.

Years went by, and life at the Shinsengumi took on a comfortable rhythm. Wake up, train, stake out terrorist bases, shoot terrorists, fill out paperwork, attempt the latest Hijikata death scheme, go to bed, repeat. In fact, it became so comfortable that Okita found himself actually enjoying it. One day, the thought crossed his mind that, when he did finally kill Hijikata, the entire routine would be ruined. Although everyone knew about his ambition, no one would condone murder. And really, life wouldn't be worth living if not for waking up in the morning with the goal of irritating Hijikata as much as possible.

Okita didn't like that train of thought and forced himself to forget about it.

Slowly though, Okita found himself forgetting about his hatred for Hijikata. He never forgot what Hijikata had done, but the emotion behind his actions was dissipating. Not that he would ever stop trying to kill Hijikata. In some way, he had become a goal. To be better than Hijikata… Okita could do worse for a goal.

So hatred slowly turned into respect. But just as Okita was beginning to become comfortable with that idea, he noticed that Hijikata was changing the routine. It was something subtle, something difficult to pinpoint. The way Hijikata would look at him now, the brusque way he was now treating Okita whenever they were alone… Something was off.

They had continued on like that for a few months. Then, at a crucial point in a year long investigation of a terrorist group, someone bungled communication between Hijikata's and Okita's squads. The terrorist cell slipped away in the confusion, and the mission was a failure.

Hijikata had avoided Okita for a week after that incident. Which left Okita feeling several things he knew he shouldn't. First there was anger. Anger that Hijikata had failed not only the mission, but also to meet Okita's expectations. There was also frustration directed at himself for his part in the blunder. This much was normal, though.

What wasn't normal was the fact that he felt hurt that Hijikata hadn't said anything to him. No apology (not that Okita expected one), no argument (that Okita had expected), nothing. And with that hurt, there was an uncomfortable feeling of worry about Hijikata.

And that was how he had found himself in the Vice Captain's room, and how they had started fighting. To be exact, Okita forced his way in; Hijikata tried to throw him out; and they quickly degenerated into blows. Okita couldn't help grinning at Hijikata, who was standing in front of him, angry and irritated and _normal_.

The grin seemed to piss Hijikata off even more. He fumbled in his jacket, producing a cigarette and the lighter. "God, Sougo," he spat while lighting the cigarette, "you're the most irritating bastard in the world."

"Perhaps, but that's normal." Okita smirked. He turned to leave, feeling that things were back to normal between him and Hijikata.

"Sougo." Okita paused and looked back. Hijikata was looking at him, that strange look again. It was the first time Hijikata had looked directly at him like this, and Okita felt uncomfortable again. His eyes narrowed.

"What is it, Hijikata-san?"

Hijikata looked as if he was trying to think of a good way to say something bad. After a minute, he gave up. "You're confusing," he grumbled, and leaned forward to kiss Okita.

There were many things Okita was thinking about during that short, clumsy kiss. Thoughts about the past, about how this would change their routine, and about how the rest of the Shinsengumi would take this. But mostly, Okita thought, _he tastes like cigarettes._

-0-0-0-0-0-

AN: I wish I had had more time for this, but I procrastinated and had to run to beat my deadline. XD; So it's not perfect, but good enough, I say.


End file.
